IN AUSTRALIA – May-June 2005

were training for the Pan-American Games in “ACCESS TO SUCCESS … Treasure Island, CA, and acted as a key mentor IS THROUGH THE MIND” for developing Jack’s training regimens as a swimmer. The two have been lifelong friends By John Leonard since those early days. This article appeared in American Swimming Coach Tom Lamar, one of Jack’s personal Magazine 2004 Issue 5 coaches, talked him into moving to Pine Crest from Ransom, and later Jack joined a parent- THE CURRENT FLST STAFF run organisation, Fort Lauderdale Swimming Coach Nelson considers the FLST Staff that Association, which he coached in a club presently work with many levels of the program to be capacity from 1962-1966, in addition to starting the best group of assistants he has ever had. They his camp business at Pine Crest. Like many are … Coaches Alan Toll, Mark Hesse, Mike coaches, Jack was piecing together several Tschirret, John Wienants, Mark Davin, Greg Tye, coaching positions and working long and hard David Snyder, Jim Kiernan, Ritva Rennes and Lee hours to develop a professional coaching Kingsbury. “The group works morning and night to situation for himself. In 1966, Jack returned make our team and camp the best,” says Nelson. from the Nationals, and a fourth place finish to HISTORY find himself in the middle of a parent revolt ... He started competing in swimming at age 21. citing the usual things ... inattention to the age He started coaching the same team at age 22. At group program, focus on senior swimming, etc., age 25 he swam the 200m Butterfly on the 1956 a group of parents wanted Jack to re-direct his Olympic Team. At age 44 he coached the most efforts to the age group program. Let Jack tell it amazing Olympic triumph by an American ... “I came back from what seemed like my best Women’s Relay Team. Then, at age 60 his team professional experience, with our athletes very won their first National Team Championship. successful, expecting some community Jack Nelson has never done things the easy recognition and I found myself listening to way, or the accepted way. A football star in complaints. It rocked me for about a month.” At Georgia as he was growing up, he is still the end of that period, Jack went his own way, considered a football player in the small town of forming Jack Nelson Swim Club, and taking the LaFayette, GA, where he was raised. He started majority of the team with him. Including the swimming in the Air Force in 1953, and because Club President, who became the President of he was immediately successful as an athlete, he the new JNSC. was asked to coach the team in 1954. There he On May 1, 1974, JNSC became Fort got his first coaching experience, and his stories Lauderdale Swim Team, with a 10-lane workout of that time are numerous. facility at the International Swimming Hall of Later, his non-service coaching got started Fame. During the eight year existence of JNSC, when he was life guarding weekends on Fort the team’s highest finish in the nationals was Lauderdale Beach while attending the second overall at the spring nationals in Dallas University of Miami. Mrs. Ruth Eney, who had a Texas in April of 1974. Each time Jack moved, good young swimming daughter, approached he got more water to work with! He also picked Jack, and said, “Mr. Nelson, how much are you up a new high school affiliation, coaching Fort making working all weekend on this beach?” Lauderdale High School from 1980-1985, Jack told her. Mrs. Eney then replied, “And that including an additional four high school state is minus your gas, time to drive here, and your championships. In 1986, Jack added the meals and other expenses? Mr. Nelson, I will University of Miami to his coaching duties, and pay you that amount if you’ll spend just two kept that position as coach until 1990, when he hours each weekend coaching my daughter.” returned his full-time attention to FLST. Jack, recognising a good deal when he heard ASSISTANTS one and became Mrs. Eney’s daughter’s coach. Jack Nelson is quick to credit outstanding Shortly thereafter, he started coaching the assistants with great contributions to his Ransom School in Miami, in a three lane, 23- various programs. Among them: Ron Young, 1/3 yard pool where he won two State High now in business in Nashville, TN, and a long- School championships in Boys Swimming. In time successful head coach at Pleasant Hill, CA, 1961, he moved to Pine Crest School in Fort and in Nashville; June Woolger, presently head Lauderdale, and won 24 High School state coach at Plantation Swim Team, west of Ft. championships in a 4-lane, 20 yard pool facility, Lauderdale; Vince Santostefano, presently in for his first four years, and later an 8-lane 25 private business in Gainesville, FL, and a yard facility. former coach at the University of Florida and Buddy Baarcke met Jack Nelson when both also chairman of Florida Swimming; Terry SWIMMING IN AUSTRALIA – May-June 2005

Schlichenmaier; Chuck Knoles, now at the national champion 100m Freestyle at age 14. University of Pittsburgh; Garry Nelson (not SUPPORT related) of the Broward Seahawks; Guy Edson, Coach Nelson presently has the best support now with the ASCA; and Richard Cahalan, structure he has ever enjoyed in coaching. His formerly of the University of Miami. Many other contract with the City of Fort Lauderdale outstanding coaches have worked with Jack, extends several more years, providing his team including coaches from other nations, such as with 20 lanes of long course training water. He Nobutaka Tan, presently in his sixth year with is contracted by the city to represent Fort Coach Nelson. Nobu came to FLST from Japan Lauderdale in national and international with no English. Six years later he is fluent in swimming circles, and to encourage people to English and a terrific young coach in any come to the city for swimming events and language. No description of Jack Nelson would activities. He describes it as “The best job in the be complete without Sherrill Nelson, to whom world, working for the town I love, with the city he has been married for 20 years. giving me 100% support.” Following Tom Tapp’s Sherrill is the organised, financially savvy suggestion, (City Parks and Recreation Director) part of the Nelson team. A visit to the FLST several years ago, friends of Jack’s formed Swim office at any time of the year makes it clear that and Dive Fort Lauderdale, a private group with Sherrill is Jack’s “MVC” (Most Valuable Coach). the purpose of raising funds to support the “In addition to all the usual skills, I like to activities of world class athletes in both look for resumes that say, “I also take out the swimming and diving. The President of S&D trash” because in coaching, you have to be FTL, is Don Moonjian, an executive at Alamo willing to do whatever is required to make the Rent-A-Car, one of FLST’s best corporate organisation successful, and we ALL must do supporters. Mr. Norman Tripp, whose four that.” Coach Nelson is highly complimentary children all swam at FLST with Jack, has and enthusiastic about present coaching staff, provided support, advice and personal which he has divided according to specific assistance throughout the rise of FLST and its coaching areas such as age group, Swim support organisations. Jack is quick to note Camps, Masters, and Junior Nationals. Each that Tripp is one of the most important works with Nelson a minimum of three components in his success at FLST, as well as mornings each week with specific stroke groups. one of his best friends. “You can’t succeed “This is the largest, most diverse, and best without people like Norman Tripp on your side educated group of assistants in the history of ... people who are fighters, and believe in what my coaching career.” you are doing,” said Jack. ATHLETES MONEY Among the great athletes coached by Jack As older athletes have come to train at FLST, are Shirley Stobs, 400 Freestyle Relay Gold and been recipients of assistance from Swim medallist in Rome, 1960, Tom McAneney, and Dive Fort Lauderdale, Jack has become American Record Holder in the 500 Freestyle in increasingly knowledgeable and opinionated the 1960’s, Marilyn Corson, Canadian Olympian concerning the money issues in swimming. “It is in ‘68 and ‘72, , world record a huge mistake to put prize money before holder in the 200 Freestyle in 1972, and subsistence. The athlete must be able to train to American record holder in the 100 Freestyle go after the prize. Plus the amount of money (yards), , Olympic Gold Medallist in presently proposed by the USOC for a gold 1972, Andy Coan, American Record 100 yards medal ($15,000) is absurd. Gold Medals have Freestyle while a 16-year-old High School always been worth much more than that to the Senior, and next summer, still at 17, broke athletes who win them. That’s not a big enough ’s record with a World Record of prize to act as an incentive. The Gold Medal 51.11 in the 100m Freestyle. Bonnie Brown, itself is worth more than the money, but if the American Record in the 100 Freestyle in 1975, athletes do not have simple training assistance and Ken Knox, fastest 100m Freestyler in the we will never know who would have won the world in 1974. Laurie Lehner set a world record coveted Gold Medal. “The public gives to the in the 50m Freestyle (SC) in Gainesville in 1980. USOC and what the public should be doing, is More recently, , 1992 Olympic Gold finding a way to give the money to the athlete.” Medallist, Todd Pace, Pan Am Gold Medallist in ATLANTA 1991, and Seth van Neerden, multi-national Coach Nelson also has some different champion in 100/200m , have philosophies when it comes to thinking about a been added to Jack’s record, in addition to other plan for Atlanta. “Would I like to have athletes national champions Sarah Perroni, Sheila on the Olympic Team in Atlanta, in my home Taormina, Alyn Towne and Paige Zemina, state of Georgia in 1996? Oh yes, indeed! But SWIMMING IN AUSTRALIA – May-June 2005

there are never any guarantees. I think long- role, a job, they had to do. We didn’t talk about term, but I want the athlete to focus on one times, about splits, because we knew if we meet at a time. We try to swim well there, and looked at it that way, it seemed hopeless,” says then move on to the next meet, and so forth. All Nelson. “Instead, we had things we had to do, the meets are important to me, and I know I places we had to be. Kim Peyton knew she could differ from many coaches in that approach. I break the American Record leading off and also know that I cannot coach all the events, possibly be a body length behind. She had to and all of the distances ... there isn’t enough deal with that. We had to do the impossible. time in the day to do it right so I coach the Beat an East German team that had dominated 100’s and the 200’s where there are so many the other relays and the individual events.” Jill more events. No athlete can be sure there is a Sterkel and also had specific Golden Reward at the end of the quest, so they jobs to do. “I knew if we could get Shirley have to enjoy it now ... when it’s there for them. Babashoff even a little bit ahead, she’d never An athlete like Todd Pace may or may not be hot give it up.” The USA Women had set nine in 1996, but right now he gets to travel, to American Records, and four would have been compete, to be a part of a great sport and gain World Records except for the steroid-affected experiences he could not have in another field victories of the East German athletes. Yet, “we for years to come. So few athletes make the were getting killed in the press ... they were Olympic Team to even have a chance at the particularly harsh to Shirley ... there was no Gold. Todd is a great athlete and if history and appreciation of what they were up against. The circumstance place him in Atlanta, he’ll do his girls would go into the locker room to change, best. But, right now, he’s got a great and come back out saying, “Coach, there are opportunity to achieve in his sport, and some men in there.” I had to tell them to forget that, great athletes to train with here in Fort get changed and come back out to swim against Lauderdale.” Coach Nelson tells a great story of those men. It was tough.” Peyton hung tough, the days prior to Swim and Dive in Fort keeping the USA in the race. Boglioli and Lauderdale, when he needed to get people to Sterkel miraculously stayed in range by each nationals. “You know, your former athletes are a dropping two seconds from their lifetime bests great source of support. When I needed to get a and you could see the emotion, the frustration, team to nationals, I’d get on the phone, and ask and the energy being put into every stroke. This if I could put an athlete’s plane ticket on their was war ... stroke for stroke, the USA women American Express card. I was rarely if ever pulled closer, at the end of each length; it turned down. Former athletes know how appeared that the East Germans would weaken important and difficult it is to pay for national and the USA would surge ... one began to dream team travel.” about the impossible. What could the mighty In 1984, Coach Nelson was approached East Germans have been thinking about this about taking a position at the Justus Aquatic upstart USA team that just wouldn’t go away? Center in Orlando. He says he was flattered, but When Babashoff came down the first length of didn’t want to go, and leave Fort Lauderdale. her anchor leg, the crowd rose as one, “Thanks to Norman Tripp, I had a great 10-year screaming their enthusiasm for a classic battle. contract negotiated with the City. Since then One stroke before the wall Shirley seemed to we’ve been increasingly successful, culminating have an advantage, and turned just ahead of with the 1991 Women’s National Championship the East German. Down the final length the Team, then in 1992 in Mission Viejo we won the excitement built. At the finish, a miracle Combined Championship, and in 1993, in revealed ... USA GOLD! Four women in perhaps Nashville, we won the Men’s and Combined the greatest USA Relay triumph over a superior Championships.” These were FLST’s first opponent. How was it done, Coach? “It was national titles, and they came at a time when done with four minds. The bodies and their Jack Nelson has harnessed or created all of the times couldn’t do it. Success came from the support systems necessary to produce winning mind. It was done with hearts and emotions. It teams. “Ready to retire, Coach?” “Retire? Retire? was my greatest thrill in coaching. I could not Hell, I’m working harder and having more fun have felt better for those four young women.” than ever before ... why would I want to retire?” And your feelings when the steroid usage MONTREAL was proven? “I felt that the 1976 Women’s In 1976, this writer sat in the fourth row of Olympic Team never received the praise it was the stands at poolside as the swimmers due. The revelations do nothing to improve that marched out for the final women’s event, the situation. Lives were changed by the events of 400 Freestyle Relay. He was hoping against all those days ... and that can’t be changed now. I logic and reason for a miracle. “Each lady had a hope the women feel vindicated.” SWIMMING IN AUSTRALIA – May-June 2005

Jack Nelson continues in Fort Lauderdale, working from Nationals to Nationals, continuing to rebuild his age group program, as well as strengthening the senior team, operating swimming lessons for all ages, continuing to sell Fort Lauderdale to all that listen. He is a great representative of Fort Lauderdale, and next year he’ll be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in his hometown. It’ll be a great party for a man who stands for swimming in South Florida. My barber knows him. Congressmen and Senators know him. Waiters know him. Cab drivers know him. Families all over the world know him. He’s touched many lives, and been touched by many as well. A former assistant was asked “what makes Jack Nelson a great swimming coach?” “Jack has the ability to say precisely the thing that makes you feel better about yourself at that moment. And then you go out and you perform better, because somebody believes in you.” I’m sure Shirley, Jill, Wendy and Kim would agree. Thanks Coach, you add a lot to our profession.